kesar peda is a classic sweet made for festive occasions. They are delicious and made with very few ingredients, milk and sugar, flavored with cardamom and saffron. This is a easy recipe to make.

This recipe will make 20 pedas and will serve 10.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry milk powder

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed cardamom

Few strands of saffron

1 tablespoon milk to soak the saffron

1 tablespoon sliced pistachios for garnishing

Method

Soak the saffron strand in warm milk. Set aside.

Heat the frying pan on low heat, I like to use heavy bottom nonstick pan. Add cream and milk powder. Mix it well. Mix will start getting soft consistency of thick batter as it gets warm.

Cook mixture on low medium heat stirring continuously until mixture becomes lumpy like soft dough. This should take about 12-15 minutes. Add saffron and cardamom mix it well and cook for 2-3 more minutes until it is consistency of soft dough. Turn off the heat. Now this is known as khoya.

Transfer the khoya into a bowl and let it cool off until khoya becomes lukewarm.

Add the sugar into the khoya and knead it for about a minute until everything blends together and become soft dough. Note: if you mix the sugar while khoya is hot that will make khoya soft and will not able to make peda.

Divide the mix into 20 equal parts or more, less depends the size you prefer. Make them into ball rolling between your palms. Make a dent into the peda.

Garnish them with pistachios.

Finish peda consistency should be little grainy.

Notes

If peda mix is too dry add lukewarm cream as needed.

If peda mix is too soft add little almond powder, now you can call this peda kesar almond peda. Do not try to cook again thinking it will become thick, peda will become chewy.

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57 thoughts on “Kesar Peda (Indian Milk Dessert)”

Hello Manjula aunty
I have tried many of your receipies in the past and they have been a great hit in my family kind of my signature dishes now!!! So thank you very much. I made theses pedas for Ganapati for past 2 years n everyone loved them. So grateful to you. Thank you again.

Dear Manjula Aunty,
I am so grateful for your recipes! Now I am master chef among my friends 😉
For all peda recipes calling for milk powder, is Non-fat milk powder ok to use? I do not find any other type of milk powder in the grocery stores here.
I am in Connecticut.

Hello Manjula Aunty,
We moved to US within few months of my marriage and since then whenever I try to make a new dish your website is the very first I refer to and follow. Thank you for sharing recipes so easy to follow!!

After reading this blog of Kesar Peda recipe, now i am confused what to prepare for Diwali.
But really lots of thanks, as this blog gives all the necessary information about the recipe and the photography is so awesome that everybody desires for the dish

Hello Manjula,
I love watching your recipe videos. You make even the most complicated dishes so simple … and they are great tasting too. Now, regarding this recipe of Kesar Peda, can desi ghee be used instead of heavy cream, and will the pedas turn out good?

Vera, First let me say thank you, I love to hear these great compliments, make me happy. now using the ghee, ghee is not the replacement for heavy cream you can use just the cream that will work or take the plain milk and reduce to make it like a cream.

You’re a household name in my home, thanks for sharing your knowledge, I have made several of your dishes and it came out perfect. Not sure if you can share this recipe it is call Habsi Halwa, thanks. You are our cooking guru .

I just discovered this site in my search for a recipe for something I tried in an “indian tea house” I visited in Sofia (Bulgaria).
There they have something they call “white balls”, which appears to be a white version of Kesar Peda. It looks similar in size and texture. It tastes a bit like it has vanilla in it instead of cardamom, and it has no saffron either. Also they use walnuts.

I just want to ask, does it sound like a different version of Kesar Peda to you, or do you think it’s based on something else?

I have a question, I don’t like the taste of Cardemom 🙁 (I’m so sory), Can I substitute this with any other flavor/spice…..Vanilla, Rosewater, Chocolate etc.
I love your recipes and they are so easy to make.
Best regards,

Hello Manjula,
Your are really a great cook(chef). My mum told me to follow you. She also made heaps of dishes from your you tube channel. Your measurement of spices and best part of salt is great otherwise all I saw was salt to taste but someone who is new to cooking have no idea about it, I loved it( I can’t guess). There was a question in my mind that you use cup as measurement unit in your recipe. Could you please tell me that do you use the universal cup size(8 oz./250 ml) for your measurement. I am just asking out of curiosity.
Thanks.
Priyanka

hello manjula aunty……am such a big fan of yours……as your all the recipes are delicious and without onion garlic ……and i also dont use onion garlic in my food ……your website is very useful to learn cooking without onion garlic ……thnank you so much for being there……

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Namaste Manjula, Thank you for sharing so much goodness with us. I love your videos. Tomorrow morning I will be making "White Girl Breakfast Aloo Naan"...I will serve with sour cream & salsa for dipping. Your Aloo Naan is so wonderful, I hope mine turns out well. Thank you...-Carmen B.